5 Gluten Free Recipes For Fall That Support Healthy Digestion

Hint hint: They all contain bitter foods!

Enjoy 5 of my favorite fall recipes below that incorporate bitter foods to optimize digestion, balance blood sugar and support bowel regularity.

AND, they all contain local, seasonal foods which help in priming your immune system.

More on why Bitters are the GOAT for digestion HERE.

PS: All bitter foods are BOLDED below :)

Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce

Makes ~ 1.5-2 cups of sauce 

Ingredients: 

• 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries 

• 1/4 cup raw honey

• ½ cup water 

• zest of 1 orange 

• 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (roughly one large juicy orange or 2 smaller needed) 

• Optional: 1 cinnamon stick or a few shakes of cinnamon 

How You Do It:

1. Rinse cranberries and drain off water, discard any mushy cranberries

2. Add cranberries, honey and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil 

3. Once bubbling, reduce to a simmer (medium/low heat) and let cook for 5-10 minutes until cranberries are broken down and sauce is forming (stir occasionally throughout) 

4. Turn the heat to low and add fresh orange juice, zest and cinnamon stick

**you can add more sweetener if needed but I like to taste the tartness of the cranberry!  Store in the fridge ~ 1 week or freezes well!

How I eat it: I love this served over plain yogurt with granola or stirred into a warm bowl of oatmeal :)

CREAMY Sweet Potato Turmeric Hummus

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium cooked sweet potato (I used a white sw potato, you can use any type!) - roasted and cooled

• 1 can of organic chickpeas (drained)

• 1 clove of garlic 

• 1/4 cup tahini 

• juice of half a lemon 

• 1/2 tsp each of cumin, paprika (extra to top) 

• 1 tsp turmeric 

• a few T of olive oil (depending on desired consistency) 

• Serve with: radish, endives, celery

  How You Do It:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend (start with just 1-2 T of oil and work from there) 

2. Add more olive oil as desired until reaching smooth consistency

3. Serve with additional sprinkles of paprika, a drizzle of olive oil and extra pinch of salt

4. Store in a glass container for up to a week in the fridge

How I eat it: Enjoy with radish, endives and celery (radish and endives are your bitters!) and some fresh olives and gluten free crackers

Citrus Fennel Salad

Ingredients:

• Greens (kale/mixed greens/raddichio work well)

• 2/3 cup roasted fennel root (slice & bake at 400 for ~20 min until golden edges)

• 1 cup fresh orange slices

• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts - chopped

• small handful fennel fronds (green tops of fennel, roughly chopped)

• Citrus Tahini Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup tahini

  • juice of 1 small orange

  • 1 shallot-finely diced

  • 1 T spicy mustard

  • 2T ACV

  • 1 tsp orange zest

  • salt/pepper to taste

  • 1/3 cup olive oil

How You Do It:

• Toss all ingredients in a large bowl

• Whisk together tahini dressing ingredients; add warm water to thin as desired

• Toss salad in dressing and serve!

How I eat it: This is my GO-TO Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinner salad to bring to parties :),

Easy Collard Green Bison Sliders

Makes ~3-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground bison

• a few shakes each: garlic powder, salt + pepper

• avocado oil

• 1 bunch raw collard greens

• toothpicks

• Toppings: caramelized onions (highly recommend!), pickles, tomato, mustard, ketchup

How You Do It:

1. Heat up the grill on high (can also use a grill pan or cast iron skillet)

2. Form the ground meat into 5-6 smaller burger patties; brush with oil and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper

3. Once grill is hot, cook for 3-5 min. on each side (depending on meat)

4. Meanwhile, bring a large stockpot of water to a boil; holding the stem, dip entire collard green leaf into water, remove immediately, and place on towels to dry

5. Remove burgers, let cool slightly, and place on inside of collard greens

6. Position the leaf on a cutting board so the stem is facing your body, find where the stem meets the start of the leaf and cut off about 3-4 inches into the stem (where the stem is super thick); cut off in an upside down V shape

7. Place desired toppings on burger, wrap up the sides of the leaf first and then wrap the part of the leaf closest to you over the burger, rolling the burger over itself (rolling away from your body) to wrap up the other end

8. Slice in half, add a toothpick and serve!

How I eat it: I love serving these with the carrot fries/dipping sauce below.

Carrot Fries & Curry Mustard Sauce

Makes ~3-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 large carrots

• 1 tsp salt

• avocado oil

• Curry Mustard Sauce:

  • 4 T tahini

  • 2 tsp mustard

  • 1 tsp curry

  • 1/4 tsp coriander

  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

  • warm water

How You Do It:

1. Preheat oven to 375, wash, peel and chop carrots into fries

2. Place on baking sheet and toss in ~2 tsp avocado oil, sprinkle with salt and give another toss

3. Bake carrots until tender with golden edges (about 30 min), flipping halfway through

4. Make the sauce: whisk together curry mustard sauce ingredients, add warm water until desired consistency is reached (should be a creamy dressing consistency)

5. Serve carrots with sauce.

How I eat it: Right outta the oven, they’re also strangely yummy cold/leftover :).

Read more on ALL THE bitter bennys & why it’s a powerhouse for digestion in my recent blog HERE.

More of my free recipes can be found HERE.

ENJOY! ;)